Xavier Turns One!
Happy Birthday, Xavier! And greetings to everyone.
We did not do much to celebrate Xavier's birthday today; we did that Sunday. We did, however, pray and thank Father for all He has brought Xavier through this past year, and for His goodness in our lives.
Even though it's his birthday, Xavier has been having a bit of a rough day. He might be cutting a third tooth. His two bottom central incisors (which also might be bothering him), are coming in nicely; they can clearly be seen when his tongue is not covering them.
We opened Aunt Kathy's present over the phone instead of Skype (Skype technical difficulties); she sent Xavier a musical (thanks a lot, Kathy!) animal puzzle. Xavier dove right in; all the animals passed the taste test. Grandma Penny's and Grandpa Dave's present is still rattling around UPS somewhere. Looks like an extended week of celebration.
As mentioned in a previous posting, Rebecca had Whole Foods bake a cake for Xavier. About six inches in diameter, it seemed the right size for Xavier. We originally thought about using a cupcake, but we thought this more fun. As it turned out, the cake was not at all tasty; in fact, it was down-right off-putting. The taste of the frosting hinted at stale mustard, and not a good kind of mustard. The cake itself may have been flavored with ground cardboard and chalk. Even Xavier made faces at the taste, especially the frosting. However, none of that is the point. The point was "The Mess"
Dressed only in a diaper and having no idea what is going on, nor why his mother, grandmother and aunt all close in with cameras, nor why Lena the Dalmatian is not being expelled from the kitchen, Xavier waits. A cluster of adults huddle together at the counter across from him, doing what he cannot guess at.
At last, the candle in the form of a numeral one is lit and the cake is presented. Slowly at first, as though not really interested, Xavier explores the cake. After tasting the unpleasant frosting, it looks like he might be wholly put off. Then, a second wind! Pastry Storm Xavier looks like a category 4. As Mom presented the cake, Grandma stepped in to get a close-up shot just as the photographer snapped the main picture. Chellie aims her camera and Lena waits for the cake to hit the floor (the Dalmatian wonders why there are large plastic bags under the highchair; she is, after all, the official floor cleaner where Xavier is concerned)
The frosting may taste like stale, sour mustard, but still it has sugar and butter! Also, how else does one clean their hands?
Giving his benediction, Xavier thanks everyone for the cake and all the attention, not to mention the buzz stirring within him. We're certain it was not the two bees from the cake.
It snowed all day Sunday, so we weren't able to use the hose to clean him up (just kidding). Charged with a sugar rush, it's off to the bath. Rebecca carried him in after putting on an apron. The waters ran yellow, and after a good scrubbing and his splashing around a while, the towel he dried off with still came away with yellow stains.
Happy Mothers' Day
Greetings to everyone, and Happy Mothers' Day to all the moms!
This time of May is a convergence of birthdays and Mothers' Day. Of course, Xavier's birthday is numbered among the birthdays, but both his aunts have birthdays near his.
In the neighborhood this weekend, Penny, Rebecca's mother and Xavier's grandmother, flew in to celebrate Xavier's first year out of the womb. Chellie, Rebecca's sister, drove down from Fort Collins to join in the celebration. It was somewhat sad that Kathy, Xavier's other aunt, was not able to join us; however, she did join us for Christmas and again in February.
Since we had so much to celebrate, we broke it across two days. We celebrated the the two moms and Chellie's birthday Saturday by attending Cirque du Soleil's Varekai then dinner afterward. Xavier entertained a babysitter while we enjoyed ourselves on the northern side of town.
Sunday was all about Xavier, and he knew it! Penny and Chellie went out to pick up some last minute items. Dad had already decorated several rooms with helium-filled balloons the day before (Xavier likes balloons). Penny had shipped her gifts ahead of her, but the UPS Store shipped it to the wrong address: to our former Fort Collins address to be exact. As I type, the package is still in transit, but we hope to get it soon. Xavier scored clothes from Aunt Chellie, and his new "throne" from Grandma. Aunt Kathy shipped her gifts to Xavier in time to arrive on the 13th.
Of course, the tradition of giving a one-year old his first birthday cake was observed. Rebecca had Whole Foods make Xavier a little cake in the shape of a classical bee hive. With a single candle burning, the cake was presented to Xavier, who sat not in his throne, but in his high chair. Clothed in only a diaper, he did not really know what to do, nor was he sure about doing anything at all. In the end, he was sufficiently covered in frosting. I will post his cake pictures Tuesday, his official birthday date.
We live about 2 miles from a European bakery which is too good with their, well, everything they bake. The owner makes cakes; you tell him the general details and he will fill in the rest. Never the same cake twice. Rebecca ordered a cake for her mom and Chellie, a layered, jelly-filled, marzipan-wrapped cake of chocolaty goodness. The three ladies of honor choose their territory to carve out.
Xavier sits on his new throne, which Grandma Pennty bought him. Already, the power has gone to Xavier's head as he holds court.
Xavier, after pulling the tissue paper from the bag, checks the tag to see if his new shirts will fit him (they do, or rather, they will soon).
Tongue Tied?
Greetings to everyone!
Today, Xavier transitioned from physical therapist to occupational therapist. To help with the transition, both therapists met with him, spending about an hour with Xavier. The reason for the transition is to see if an occupational therapist can get Xavier to eat better, and to be happy about it. Rebecca managed Xavier's eating schedule this morning so he would be hungry when the therapists arrived. The intent was to let the OT observe how he eats.
Xavier, for his part, was in rare form. Rebecca said she has never seen him so excited. Apparently, he was a shameless flirt, smiling and racing around putting on a show for the two ladies.
The occupational therapist's name is Neve. Interestingly, Neve is the same therapist who worked with Xavier last summer, while he was still on oxygen. At that time, we were still deciding between PT and OT. We had Xavier home from the NICU a week or two when Rebecca and Xavier first met Neve. At that time, she thought Rebecca was detached from Xavier. That statement did not set well with Rebecca, and it haunted her for months afterward. The re-introductions today ended on a more positive note.
Neve thinks Xavier's lackluster eating habits may be due to a fairly rare condition. She used a phrase which perfectly describes how Xavier manages food offered to him, be it by bottle, spoon or finger: he "guards his mouth." Her more lengthy analysis wholly encompasses everything we've noted about Xavier's eating behaviors, as well as some other behaviors we have observed with some concern.
One of the observations Neve made was that Xavier should be sticking his tongue out further than he does. When he does "stick his tongue out," it never comes out passed his bottom lip, and his bottom lip pulls backward in toward his mouth. At Xavier's first meeting with Dr. Abbey, he also noted the same condition Neve diagnosed. He stated it as a passing comment and did not appear concerned, so we thought little more about it.
Xavier has Ankyloglossia. He is tongue-tied. This explains why he does not eat as much as he should be eating. It limits Xavier's ability to manipulate food in his mouth and to work it back where he can comfortably swallow. It also makes sucking on a bottle more difficult for similar reasons. It also is and will interfere with his ability to learn and practice speech.
Neve told us to discuss this with Dr. Abbey next week at Xavier's 1-year checkup. The correction is straightforward, requiring the skills of a dentist. Basically, it involves a minor surgery in cutting back the lingual frenulum to loose the tongue. We will know more about this next Wednesday.
If this turns out to be the case, it's amazing how simple a thing affects so much. Here we had Xavier seeing liver specialists and gastroenterology specialists to solve his slow growth and refusal to eat doctor-prescribed amounts of food. The whole problem may come down to Xavier's little tongue not having the freedom it needs.
Changing to an occupational therapist may well be Father's hand once more guiding us through the adventure of parenting Xavier!